Innocence of War
by DaisyInTheWild
Summary: Sometimes the M*A*S*H personnel find a spark of innocence in the 4077.
1. Father Mulcahy

_Hi all, this is my first attempt at a M*A*S*H story. All your favourite characters will be featured throughout! Let me know what you think._

 _warnings for this chapter: None._

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 **1\. Father Mulcahy.**

The good Father has heard many confession in his time- and despite what many of his confessors seem to think, nothing surprises him anymore. From adultery to violence, gambling to drinking, Mulcahy has heard all the sins there are to commit in a war zone. He's heard the same confession so many times that he's almost fallen into a routine- from his advice to the penance he gives, it's almost always the same. (And on Sundays, he makes sure to hand out several miraculous medals.)

It's late on a quiet Sunday afternoon, and he's about to pull down the sheet he's hung up as a confessional divider when the flap of the tent opens. He sits back down with a small sigh, blessing himself as the person who's entered kneels down on the other side.

"Bless me Father, I sin. It been five weeks since last confession." The slightly broken English isn't what catches his attention- it's the childlike voice.

"I'm listening, my child."

"I am angry with my little brother for hitting me, so I hit him too, many times. I sleep in and not help Mother with feeding animals..."

The sins confessed surprise him. They're confessed with reverence, with sincerity- but compared to what he's head over the last year, they almost seem comical. When the child finishes, the priest lets out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. A few moments pass and he realises she's waiting for him to speak.

"I must ask, how old are you?"

"Six." Is the prompt reply.

He's gentle with his advice- try to be kinder, pray for patience. Listen to your mother, she only wants what is best. Instead of the usual litany, novena or rosary he gives her three simple Hail Mary's as a penance. (her gasp in response to the "harsh" penance makes him smile slightly.)

She finishes her Act of Contrition with an Amen and gets up quickly to leave. He hears her feet softly pat on the floor as she skips over to the door and he feels the sudden urge to ask a single question.

"My Child, before you go I must ask you- what do you wish to be when you're older?" He asks softly.

"A Princess." The little voice replies promptly and confidently. There's a shuffle of feet and the soft creak of the door and just like that, the little girl is gone.

Father Mulcahy thanks God that innocence can still bloom amongst the destruction of war.

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Next chapter: Margaret and BJ. " _I trust you."_


	2. Margaret and BJ

Thank you to everyone who reviewed- I love you! I also really loved writing this chapter, but struggled with it. Let me know what you think!

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 **2\. Margaret Houlihan.**

It's been a long day at the end of an even longer week. BJ leans against the rickety door frame, running a hand over his face in exhaustion. He's only been in Korea for a few months, but he feels like he hasn't slept in years. The wounded seem to be never ending- and when there's finally a quiet day, BJ finds himself "volunteering" (thanks to Colonel Potter) to visit the local orphanage with Margaret.

There's not many children living there- most have been moved to an orphanage further from the front line. But there's still several in need of care and the Sisters in charge don't have much in the way of medical knowledge. It's become a fortnightly visit, especially in the colder months when the thin walls do very little to keep out the damp. The Nuns have even set up a little room for them to use, which doubles as the nursery.

On this particular occasion, the children in the orphanage are relatively healthy. They're a lot skinnier than they should be but there's not much the Nurse and Doctor can do to change that. All they can do is hand over the crate of food supplies they've brought with them, and provide the children with as much care as they're capable of. They check cuts and burns, bind one young boy's sprained wrist and another child's fractured finger. The wounds aren't life threatening, but they still need to be cared for.

When they finish with the last of the Children, it's late in the afternoon. One of the Sisters bustles in, a small baby asleep in her arms. As she tucks the little one into a rickety bassinet she suggest that they stay overnight- there's two spare cots they can use if they'd like to. But before either the Doctor or Nurse can respond she's pulled away by the children, vanishing into the kitchen.

The murmur of voices inside jolts him back to full awareness, and he realises that The Nun- Sister Magdalene, he thinks, has returned. Reluctantly, he stoops back through the small doorway just in time to see the Sister exit the room, heading into the kitchen. He can hear the children chattering away, as they help to prepare the food they've brought over from the 4077. The Head Nurse turns to face him, and he can see the bags under her eyes.

"Sister Magdalene says there's a storm brewing." She tells him. He nods, stifling a yawn.

"She's not wrong- it looks like a bad one too." He replies. She grimaces at that, and he knows she's not looking forward to the drive home. Neither is he, if he's honest- the road is treacherous in the best of weather.

"We should stay." BJ decides. "There's no rush to return tonight, Radar told us the next batch of wounded aren't expected for another day."

"No, we need to head back to camp. Colonel Potter will need us back as soon as possible." Margaret responds as she fights back a yawn.

"I don't think it's a good idea. It's already getting a dark outside, and I'm exhausted. If we leave now we'll get stuck in that storm… And I don't personally like the idea of spending the night sleeping in a muddy ditch. "

"We're going. Start loading the jeep." Margaret's voice is hard, and the usually calm BJ suddenly feels on edge. The surgeon crosses his arms, in a clear stance of defiance. She eyes him, and sets her jaw.

"We're staying. Settle in for the night."

"No, we're not. We're leaving."

"Neither of us are fit to drive that jeep back to camp in the dark and rain. We're not going anywhere."

Margaret's eyes spark with anger. BJ raises an eyebrow, waiting for her to respond.

"I outrank you, Captain."

"I don't _care,_ Major."

"You're out of line, Captain!"

"In that case, I _really_ don't care."

Margaret throws her hands in the air, huffing in exasperation. She spins around, storming away from him. Without another word, she begins packing away their medical supplies. She hears the doctor behind her let out a sigh of frustration, but decides to ignore him as she carefully stashes the glass bottles into her bag.

A rumble of thunder fills the icy silence between them, followed by a soft cry comes from the bassinet across the room. Margaret barely notices, not even when the cry intensifies. She only notices when the sound stops suddenly. She looks over her shoulder in time to see the tall surgeon reach into the down, gently lifting the baby into his arms.

The child is two, maybe three months old. But she's small even for her age- far smaller than she should be, Margaret notes bitterly. She watches as BJ gently rocks the child back and forth, speaking gently.

"It's alright, the thunder's not going to hurt you. You're safe here…"

It's not his usual, carefree rumble. There's no sarcastic undertone, none of the anger from before. It's a soft, soothing sound. It's the voice of a father. Even as Margaret watches BJ continues to rock the child, and it's not long before he starts to sing a lullaby. She doesn't know it, but she can tell BJ's sung it many times.

The baby settles down, and by the time the last of the lullaby leaves the surgeon's lips she's fast asleep again. Instead of putting her back in the crib, BJ moves over to one of the beaten up cots and sits down, leaning back against the wall with the baby resting on his chest as he continues to hum the tune.

It's so natural for him, that Margaret suddenly feels a pang of sadness. This little girl is not much younger than Erin would be now, and if it wasn't for the war she realises, it would be Erin cradled to the tall surgeon's chest right now. She forgets sometimes that this man is different to Frank, Trapper and Pierce in one key way- he's not just a man separated from his wife. He's a young father, torn away from his daughter before she can even talk.

It hits her suddenly that the BJ she's come to know is not the BJ that Peg Hunnicutt knows.

The thunder rolls again, a lot closer this time.

With a sigh, Margaret drops her bag back onto the floor.

"I'll let the Sisters know we'll be staying."

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 _For those wondering, the innocence here is the lullaby. ;)_

Chapter 3: Colonel Potter. _"My Grandson thinks he can end this war with milk, cookies and an earlier bed time."_

 _please let me know what you think!_


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